NPR talk show host Terry Gross interviewed American Sniper star Bradley Cooper for Monday afternoon’s Fresh Air, and the weirdest part came when she asked Cooper if he was spooked out of working with director Clint Eastwood after he “interviewed the chair” at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in 2012.
“Clint Eastwood directed the film - and very well. He directed it very well, I think,” she said. “But I'll tell you, after he interviewed the chair at the Republican National Convention, I thought, wow, I'd be scared to work with him after that. And I'm wondering if you had any reservations about, you know, having him direct the film knowing that he could interview the chair.”
Cooper laughed: “You got to ask him about that one time (laughter) if you ever get a chance to.”
Gross also sounded strange when she insisted that people on the Left want to oppose the war, but support the troops, but “they draw the line when the troops had to do something like kill someone.”
TERRY GROSS: A lot of the criticism that you've been taking has been coming from the left from people who opposed the war in Iraq and think the film should have been making a stronger this was the wrong war to fight statement. And, you know, a lot of people who oppose the war in Iraq are very, you know, strong in saying, I opposed the war, but I support our troops. I support our men and women who risk their lives. But I'm wondering if you think that there are some people who feel like they oppose the war, they support the troops, but that they draw the line when the troops had to do something like kill someone. You know, like, I support the troops, but this guy here was a sniper. He killed people. You know, some people think, like, he hasn't apologized, so I don't approve....And I'm not saying I don't approve; I'm saying I think that's the attitude I'm hearing.
Cooper wanted to separate the war (and the politicians who advocated or voted for going to war) from the veterans who fought it:
COOPER: You know, Chris talked about - I remember hearing an interview with him, and he talked about -- he was asked that question, a similar question about being over there and the choices and why and, you know, and he talked about how that's not his job. You know, he made a commitment and an oath to his country, and if you have an issue with it, the people that you really need to talk to are those who make the decisions of where to send the troops. And he would wish that that attention was diverted to them, and instead, maybe look at what the sacrifice is. That's how we looked at this movie. Would look at this movie as, hopefully, igniting a conversation about the lack of care and attention that goes towards vets. And you know, the fact that it's inciting discussion that has nothing to do with vets, and it's more about the Iraq War or why or what we do not do to indict those who decided to go to the war, you know - every conversation that is in those terms, Terry, is moving farther and farther away from what our soldiers go through.
Early in the interview, when Gross asked how he dealt with being thrust into a political battle over the movie, he returned back to the cause of the veterans and how they have kept our country free:
TERRY GROSS: So let me just ask you a couple of things about the controversy. First of all, what has it been like for you to be in the center of the culture wars and to have some liberals criticizing the film, Sarah Palin supporting the film? Everybody's talking about it and weighing in. I don't think you've been in that position before, and it's a really strange position to be in.
BRADLEY COOPER: No, I have not - not that I can think of. I feel a bit removed from it just because I'm in New York City doing this play [a stage version of The Elephant Man], and my life hasn't changed on a daily basis, you know? People aren't coming up on the street or anything like that, either praising or yelling at me.
But, you know, war is such an emotional subject, so maybe I was a fool to think that it wouldn't. The one great thing I have to say is that what we are watching are whatever people are writing that go to - an audience of - how many? - 1.4 million, or whatever it is on certain television programs - but the box-office results show that millions and millions of people are going out to see the film. And clearly, it's starting a discussion and outside of just the political arena.
It's starting a discussion about what vets go through and what men and women in the armed services - what their plight is as they go into theater and what their families have to deal with. And I think that's something that 99 percent of the population, myself included, just had no idea what that is like. So if for nothing else, that this movie could shed a light onto that 1 percent that have sacrificed themselves for our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, you know, that's a wonderful thing.
